Costco Recalls Smoked Salmon for Possible Salmonella

Costco Wholesale has issued a recall for Kirkland Signature and Foppen smoked salmon for possible Salmonella contamination. The fish is linked to a Salmonella Thompson outbreak in the Netherlands, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. Almost 250,000 customers in the U.S. have purchased the salmon in the last month.

The Foppen brand fish was made by Foppen at a plant in Greece. The Kirkland brand fish was made at a plant in the Netherlands. Only the Foppen brand has tested positive for the bacteria. Both brands were recalled out of precaution. The brands recalled are Foppen Norwegian Smoked Salmon Slices in 12 ounce packages, and Kirkland Signature Norwegian Imported Smoked Salmon 2 x 12 ounces. The shelf life of the salmon is 26 days, so the company has notified anyone who purchased the salmon in the 26 days before the recall was issued.

The recall notice states that “there are no health problems reported to Costco nor the manufacturer Foppen regarding Salmonella by customers on products sold at Costco. Also there have been no positive testings for Salmonella on the above mentioned products.” The CDC, FDA, and USDA are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Thompson in the United States, but there is no confirmation that those illnesses are linked to the recalled salmon.

The symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include diarrhea that may be bloody, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and cramps, fever, chills, headache, and muscle pain. If you are experiencing these symptoms, especially if you have consumed smoked salmon in the past week, please see your doctor immediately.